It’s not surprising to know that tech companies and IT organizations are always recruiting for software developers. However, consulting firms, such as Accenture, Congnizant, and Slalom are also constantly looking for software talent.

Since the nature of software development work at consulting firms is different from work at internal software or IT teams, we’d like to take a closer look at the career path for software developers at consulting firms and the progression at each level. Read more…

Software Development Engineer (Seattle)

Previously, Geekology interviewed an iOS Mobile Developer and an QA Engineer to learn how potential technical candidates feel about the job descriptions they would run into. In this installment in our series, we set to find out more by interviewing an experienced SDE currently working at a leading technology company. You will soon see from the candidate’s perspective on how he approaches the application process. Please note: the following analyses only reflects the opinion of the specific interviewee.

Please give us your career summary.

I’m a software engineer with 4 years of experience – 2 years at startups and 2 at a corporate level company. My key skills include:

Here at Geekology, we like to make the technical world less cryptic. We do so by breaking down technical words in laymen terms. One of which, is the distinction between a software engineer and systems engineer. People are often unclear about the differences, especially when talking about software-intensive systems. Within these systems, there is a blurry line that separates the two, which is where the confusion can happen.

Technical recruiters unavoidably will run into current or former Microsoft engineers, especially on the West Coast. Software development engineers (SDE) at Microsoft are grouped based on an internal title and level system. Here is a quick walk-through of how Microsoft ranks their software engineers (technical individual contributors).

SDE band:

Level 59 – Straight out of school with an undergraduate degree.

Level 60 – Straight out of school with a master’s degree or college grads with some experience. Read more…